House Engrossed

State of Arizona House of Representatives Fifty-first Legislature Second Regular Session 2014

HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 2006

 

A concurrent RESOLUTION

 

acknowledging the leadership of the Hopi tribe and the United States Public Health Service in initiating the smoke-free movement in hospitals and workplaces.

 

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

 

Whereas, in October 1983, Dr. Leland L. Fairbanks of the United States Public Health Service (USPHS), with the help of Rice Leach of the Phoenix Indian Medical Center and Charles Q. North of Keams Canyon, Arizona, encouraged the Hopi Tribal Council and the Hospital Board Executive Committee of the Hopi Tribe's Keams Canyon Indian Health Service (IHS) Hospital to ban smoking at the Keams Canyon IHS Hospital, making it the first health institution in the country to enact this ban.  The strong support of the Hopi and Navajo nurses who worked at the Keams Canyon IHS Hospital was instrumental in implementing this change; and

Whereas, Dr. Leland L. Fairbanks' effort to rid IHS of smoking motivated Don J. Davis, Director, IHS Portland Area Office, to convert every IHS facility in Washington, Oregon and Idaho into being smoke-free.  To accomplish this goal, Don J. Davis solicited the support of the Portland Area tribes, who believed that smoking should take place only during sacred ceremonial activities.  As a result of their efforts, Portland became the first totally smoke-free IHS area; and

Whereas, Surgeon General C. Everett Koop appointed Dr. Leland L. Fairbanks to his National Advisory Committee on Smoking and Health with the special assignment of transforming IHS, USPHS and Health and Human Services (HHS) into smoke-free agencies.  By May 1987, all three agencies had banned smoking in their facilities.  HHS Secretary Otis Bowen signed the final order that affected approximately 120,000 employees who worked in 13,000 buildings across all fifty states; and

Whereas, at the urging of Surgeon General C. Everett Koop and other health care leaders, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations made smoke-free status a nationwide requirement for accreditation, prompting most American hospitals and clinics to ban smoking in their facilities; and

Whereas, an entire generation of nurses, hospital staff and patients has now been free of secondhand smoke in hospitals.  Additionally, the smoke‑free movement has spread to other public spaces such as bars, restaurants and workplaces; and

Whereas, the Hopi people's implementation of the smoking ban in the Keams Canyon IHS Hospital in 1983 was the impetus for this smoke-free movement.

Therefore

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives of the State of Arizona, the Senate concurring:

That the Members of the Legislature acknowledge the leadership of the Hopi Tribe and the United States Public Health Service in initiating the smoke-free movement in hospitals and workplaces.